Austin companies generate new tech jobs every day, even during a pandemic. And as local startups rise and companies continue to move their headquarters from out-of-state to join Austin’s tech ecosystem, top talent continues to move through the city.
Below, we've put together a list of the the most interesting hires, departures and layoffs of November 2020.
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Here's what happened in November...
New hires, arrivals and departures
Brian Sheth departed Vista Equity Partners, ending one of the most successful partnerships in technology investing. As president of Austin-based Vista, Sheth teamed with Robert Smith, the private equity firm's chairman and CEO, to create a powerhouse for software buyouts. Sheth's exit raises questions about the future of Vista, weeks after Smith admitted to tax evasion in a stunning revelation for the world of finance. Vista announced Sheth's departure around noon Nov. 26, as many people were preparing their Thanksgiving meals.
Austin has had a continuing wave of well-known tech CEOs and venture capitalists moving in. Now, it appears we have a couple more. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Splunk CEO Douglas Merritt both recently bought homes in Austin and plan to call it home, The Information reported [subscriber content].
ESO, an Austin company making software for emergency response agencies, promoted VP of Engineering Brandon Martinez to the role of CTO. Martinez has been a core technical leader at ESO for about a decade.
Hyliion, an Austin company making electrified powertrains that recently went public through a SPAC deal, added Jose Oxholm as its VP, general counsel and chief compliance officer. Oxholm was most recently VP, deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer at Meritor, a commercial vehicle parts and systems company. He has also worked at LoJack, Ford and Goodyear.
Austin fintech startup Self Financial announced it has added Chris LaConte as chief strategy officer, a newly created role at the company. LaConte was previously chief strategy officer for Austin-based cybersecurity startup SpyCloud. It's part of a broader hiring uptick at Self Financial, which has grown from 65 employees to 108 since its $20M Series C round in February.
Austin addiction and behavior app and software startup Provene was acquired by iVitalize, a multi-prong genetic tech company, Oscar Martinez, CFO of iVitalize said. While Martinez didn't disclose any financial details, he spelled out how Provene, led by founder and CEO Andrew Dubinsky, will become part of iVitalize's offerings.
Michael Dell's investment firm, MSD Partners, is getting a new leader. Gregg Lemkau, a top deal maker at Goldman Sachs Group, has been tapped as the firm's new CEO, the Wall Street Journal reported. The story noted that MSD Partners has largely avoided tech deals in favor of investments in credit and real estate.
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale is moving the HQ of his venture firm, 8VC, from San Francisco to Austin. CNBC reported that Lonsdale moved to Austin earlier this year and has now decided to move his firm to ATX, as well. As we noted back in 2018, another Palantir co-founder, Peter Thiel, moved his VC firm Mithril to Austin.
Cirrus Logic, Austin's fifth-largest public company, has selected John Forsyth, its current president, to become CEO of the starting in January. Forsyth, who joined Cirrus in 2014, will replace Jason Rhode, who will step down after leading the company for more than a decade. He will remain an executive fellow and be involved in customer relations and talent development. In another move, Cirrus Logic said David Tupman will become chairman of the board, succeeding Al Schuele, who is retiring from the board.
Yeti, the Austin cooler and drinkware company, announced it appointed Alison Dean as an independent director. Dean is former CFO at iRobot. Prior to that, she held senior financial roles at 3Com. Dean replaces board member Michael E. Najjar, who has resigned.
